August 12, 2011 03:44 PM CDTAugust 12, 2011 03:44 PM CDTJamie Benn has the tools, but will Stars find the right way to use him?

Jamie Benn has the tools, but will Stars find the right way to use him?

3/18

Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News

Adam Burish (6-0, 189-pound forward) ... 2010-11 review: Posted a career best 8 goals and a career-high14:20 in ice time as he stepped onto a new team and took a significant role. ... 2011-12 outlook: Expected to play on a checking line with Vernon Fiddler and be a huge part of the Stars’ team defense.

Mike Heika, Stars beat writer for The Dallas Morning News and SportsDayDFW.com, offers his analysis of the players on the team's roster in a series leading up to training camp.

* * *

Name: Jamie
Benn

Position:
Forward

Ht/wt: 6-2,
208

Birthdate:
July 18, 1989 (Age 22)

Experience:
Two years in the NHL, both with the Stars

2011-12
salary and contract status: One year remaining at $821,667 cap hit and then he
is a restricted free agent.

2010-11
review: Took a huge step forward by posting 56 points in 69 games. He was the
best player on the team for a large chunk late in the
season.

2011-12
outlook: It’s all up in the air now with the new coaching staff, but expect Benn
to get even more scoring chances and establish new career bests in every
category.

Fun fact:
Older brother Jordie is a defenseman for the Texas Stars.

* * *

The biggest
problem I have with Jamie Benn is that I’m afraid expectations will get too high
for the kid.

In my
opinion, Benn is the best player the Stars will have in the future and he could
be their best player already. Now, there is a caveat that comes with that
statement. When Benn was at his best last season, coach Marc Crawford was
overusing him. So did Benn excel because of all the ice time he received, or
could he be even better if he is used a little less this
season?

Those are
the kind of questions the new coaching staff will have to ask
itself.

Jamie Benn
is an amazing hockey player. He is big, strong, smart and fast. He has great
hands and has a real knack for anticipating plays, so he can score with anybody
his age. He also has a sort of "reckless" style, so he is as physical as many
of the toughest forwards in the NHL.

But how do
you get the most out of that package?

Benn has
been a goal-scoring left wing for the majority of his hockey life. He did it in
lower level hockey, in junior hockey and in a short stint in the AHL. His
numbers were off the chart good. In his final season in junior hockey with the
Kelowna Rockets, he led the WHL in scoring with 46 goals among 82 points in 56
games. During the playoffs, he led Kelowna to the Memorial Cup finals and had 13
goals among 33 points in 19 playoff games. He made the Stars the next season
(2009-10) and then played with the Texas Stars in the AHL playoffs. He helped
Texas to the AHL finals and had 14 goals among 26 points in 24 playoff
games.

Those
numbers say he could be a superstar as a left wing in this
league.

However, the
Stars believe he could be even better as a center. Benn had not played center
before 2009, but he likes to carry the puck and he likes to play defense, so
many say he could be as good as Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler, who scored 41 goals and
won the Selke Trophy last season.

That’s a
high bar, but it speaks to the potential that many believe lies in
Benn.

Now, getting
to that potential still is task, so this very well could be a transition season.
Benn will either be the team’s No. 1 or No. 2 center, and should get help from
having fellow center Steve Ott on his line. Ott can win faceoffs (56.6 percent),
helping Benn in an area where he was only 43.1 percent successful last season,
and also can deflect some of the physicality that Benn might face. If Loui
Eriksson is his right wing, Benn and Eriksson could do some wonderful work in
transition -- they are probably the two best open ice scorers on the
Stars.

Now, what’s
interesting about the upcoming season is that it would be very easy to picture
Benn on the left wing and picture Ott sliding down to a killer checking line
with Vernon Fiddler and Adam Burish. The only thing needed is a top-level
center. Could the Stars trade for that center if new ownership opens the
pocketbook? Could they give Scott Gennie a chance if he takes off in training
camp? Those are interesting questions.

For now,
though, it seems the Stars want Benn to try to become a two-way center in the
mold of Kesler. With players like Ryan Getzlaf, Anze Kopitar and Joe Thornton on
the schedule a ton, the Stars want to see Benn go out and beat those guys on a
nightly basis. Not only do they think he can shut them down, they think he can
score. It’s an intense challenge for a 22-year-old, but no more than the
challenge he faced last season when he averaged 22 minutes a game of ice time in
14 games in March and finished with 9 goals and 7 assists for 16 points in that
span.

Benn has
shown that he can be special, but it’s up to the Stars to use him properly and
get the most out of him. This season will go a long way in establishing their
plan.

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